


Going the distance (Warm days, cold nights)

by targaryen_melodrama



Series: Messenger Messes (in 200 words or less) [4]
Category: Captain America (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Established Relationship, Ficlet, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-29
Updated: 2018-11-29
Packaged: 2019-09-02 05:21:57
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 512
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16780429
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/targaryen_melodrama/pseuds/targaryen_melodrama
Summary: Sam sighs, and Bucky worries. He’d hoped that Sam was feeling regular, day to day VA tired, but this seems like...more.





	Going the distance (Warm days, cold nights)

**Author's Note:**

> This is unbeta'ed, so feel free to point out typos and whatnot.

"Move a little bit." 

"Like this?” 

"No,” Sam sighs, “just—go forward a little—no—what even—“ 

“Look, it’s this or nothing.” 

Sam rolls his eyes, and for once in his life Bucky’s grateful for SHIELD. Yeah, they’d had the whole Hydra infestation thing, but if he was working for any of the other hundred organizations that made him an offer, he wouldn’t be able to have this kind of reception in the Bosnian countryside. The kind of reception that lets him have a good look at Sam’s adorable, tired face. 

“This is fine, I guess. I don’t understand how you can handle military weaponry but not a fucking laptop webcam.” 

Bucky grins. “I contain multitudes.” 

“And you’re never taking book recommendations from my sister again.” 

“How was your day, sweetheart?" Sam sighs, and Bucky worries. He’d hoped that Sam was feeling regular, day to day VA tired, but this seems like...more. 

"I’m okay, Buck, I promise. I’m just—a little tired from the world right now, you know?" 

Bucky knows what Sam’s saying. If someone told him that he’d fight Nazis, be brainwashed for decades only to wake up and fight Nazis again, he’d crawl under a block of ice in the Arctic himself. 

He also knows what Sam isn’t saying. As much as they’d gotten better at communicating their feelings to each other, it was still hard to be the first one to admit to them. To admit to what Bucky now knows isn’t weakness. And in this moment, a continent away, Bucky can try to be strong enough for the both of them and say it first.

"I miss you, sweetheart. Everyday." Sam sighs again, his eyes coming closed for a few seconds, and Bucky’s fingers twitch, used to reaching for Sam’s hand in moments like these. 

"I miss you too. So much." Sam opens his eyes again, and looks more calm and more troubled at the same time. "Look, Bucky, I hate to do this like this, right now, but I need—“ 

Bucky is well aware that his heart actually stops for a second. “Space? Time?" 

"No," Sam says quietly, with a rueful little smile that doesn’t look nearly as nice as the full, bright, tooth-gaped one he’s used to. "I need to tell you something." It’s Sam’s turn to tilt his computer now, moving closer as if he could shorten the distance between them that way. "I love you, Bucky." 

Under any other circumstances, having his heart stop again would be worrisome. Here and now, though—

"Sam. Sam," he says, overcome. "I—" 

"Hey Barnes! Mark is on the move, we gotta go!" 

Bucky seriously considers murdering the junior agent for the interruption, but he promised his therapist—and Steve—that he wouldn’t be doing that anymore. 

"Go, baby, it’s fine. I’ll see you later?" 

The tired lines are back on Sam’s face, and his body is even stiffer than when they’d started talking, and Bucky can’t have that. 

"We will talk later. But before we go, you need to know something." 

"What?" 

"I love you too."

**Author's Note:**

> Over 200 words oops.
> 
> Title from The Distance, by Mariah Carey.
> 
> I am on [Tumblr](http://targaryenmelodrama.tumblr.com) if you wanna drop by!


End file.
